The present invention relates to a setting apparatus, a setting method, a program, and a recording medium. In particular, the present invention relates to a setting apparatus, a setting method, a program, and a recording medium for setting authorization for or prohibition of access to data.
In recent years, a language such as XML describing information by structuralizing the information into a hierarchical structure has gained attention. The XML has been widely used in various fields. For example, a clinical chart, a contract document and the like are typical applications of the XML. In such a document, it is desirable that authorization for or prohibition of access can be set not only on the entire document but also individually on a plurality of pieces of information included in one document. For example, in a case of a clinical chart, although there is no problem even if many people are authorized to access information concerning a date of diagnosis and treatment, it is not preferable that many people be authorized to access information concerning a name of illness.
Heretofore, as one of technologies for setting authorization for or prohibition of access to information with a hierarchical structure, a file system for managing a file or folder stored in a storage device has been proposed. For example, with one operation received from a user, a file system of Windows XP (registered trademark) can prohibit access to a selected folder and all files/folders at lower level in the hierarchy than that of the selected folder. Moreover, a file system of UNIX (registered trademark) or the like can set authorization for or prohibition of access to a file in accordance with whether or not a person who accesses the file is a maker of the file.
Furthermore, Tivoli Access Manger is known as a system for setting authorization for or prohibition of access to a server or an application program. According to this system, authorization for or prohibition of access can be set on each of the server and application program.
A description of publicly-known prior art documents is omitted because the existence of publicly-known prior art documents has not been confirmed at the present time.
However, it is difficult for an administrator of a structured document to properly set authorization for or prohibition of access to each of a plurality of pieces of information included in the document. For example, in an example of a clinical chart, there are some occasions when, although an administrator prohibits access to a name of illness, the administrator forgets to prohibit access to a diagnosis history located at a lower level in hierarchy than that of the name of illness. Such a disadvantage is likely to occur particularly when the structure of a document is complicated or when conditions of authorization for access are complicated, and this is problematic. Moreover, heretofore, in order to properly set authorization for or prohibition of access to each of a plurality of pieces of information, it has been necessary for an administrator to perform many operations. For example, in a case of the above-described Tivoli Access Manager, it has been necessary for an administrator to perform no less than nineteen operations in order to make predetermined setting.
In this connection, it is an object of the present invention to provide a setting apparatus, a setting method, a program, and a recording medium which are capable of solving the above-described problems. This object is achieved by the combination of the features described in each independent claim of the appended claims. Further, the dependent claims specify more advantageous specific examples of the present invention.